George Joseph Bower (1856 - 1924)

Born 22 Sep 1856 in Ghazeepore, Bengal, India

Ancestors

Husband of Aline Maud (Fink) Bower — married 11 May 1893 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

Descendants

Died 27 Jul 1924 at age 67 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Biography

George was born in 1856. He passed away in 1924.

Born: 22 Sep 1856 Ghazeepore, Bengal, India

Baptised: 11 Feb 1857 Ghazeepore, Bengal, India:

"George Joseph son of Dan and Caroline Bower, Overseer of the Stud"^[1]

Married: Aline Maud Fink on 11 May 1893 at St John’s Church, Meerut. Aline, at 22 years old, was 15 years younger than George.

Occupation: George started out working as a clerk in the Collectors Office. He is recorded as being "Head Clerk, Collectors Office" when he was married in 1893 and again in 1894 and 1895 at the time of his first child's birth and burial. At the time of his death in 1924, aged 68, he was described as being retired from the Military Accounts Department. Other records describe George as being a house owner, which suggests he made a living out being a landlord. He is also thought to have owned a flour mill in Meerut.

George and Aline lived in a mansion which they named "East Lynne" after the popular novel at the time written by Ellen Wood. It is said to have been filled with antiques. Fresh milk was supplied by cows milked at the back door.

George and his sister Margaret were the only heirs of their uncle Revd George Whitehead Bower from Lancashire, England. The inheritance was said to be related to investment in a cotton mill in Rochdale, but more detail is not known. George must have invested the money in property in Meerut, but by the time the family left India, in the late 1940s, it was all gone, even East Lynne was owned by others.

George and Aline had five children:

1. Ralph Dan Whitehead 1894-1895 (died aged 6 months 11 days)
2. Mervyn George 1896-1951
3. Rowena Myrtle 1897-1963
4. Denzil Mowbray 1899-1978
5. Veda Mazel 1901-1978

Died: 27 Jul 1924 Meerut, Bengal, India

Buried: 28 Jul 1924 St. John's Cantonment Cemetery Meerut, Bengal, India. There is no gravestone remaining.

Sources

1. ↑ "United Kingdom, British India Office, Births and Baptisms, 1712-1965", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6VT1-PNH1 : 20 January 2023), George Joseph Bower, 1857.with link to original on findmypast

See also:

• "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGSK-Q3B : 5 February 2020), Caroline in entry for George Joseph Bower, 1857.

• "India Deaths and Burials, 1719-1948", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGKF-MPY : 5 February 2020), George Joseph Bower, 1924.

• "India Marriages, 1792-1948 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGNL-5TT : 5 February 2020), Augustus Rogers Finh in entry for George Joseph Bower, 1893.

• Recollections from family members, especially George's grandson Patrick Bower who repeated stories told by his father Denzil.